


Keeper of Secrets

by GabsValladares1012



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Castiel, Canon Universe, Destiel - Freeform, Destiel Fluff, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, F/M, Gen, M/M, My First Destiel Fanfic, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Protective Castiel, Protective Dean Winchester, destiel smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-03-18 21:54:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3585390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GabsValladares1012/pseuds/GabsValladares1012
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The brothers, the angel and a girl with a lot of secrets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Escape

**Author's Note:**

> I have a general plot line and the characters that'll come into play, but if you like the work and want a specific character or filler, leave a comment and I'll try to include it as long as I can adapt it to the story line. I'd love to get some feedback, so comment and share, this is my first fanfiction.  
> Thank you for reading and enjoy.

Dean’s driving as fast as he can, Sam on the passenger seat beside him, and Cas, he’s laying across the back seat, unconscious, blood soaking his suit; Dean can’t see his face. The road is dark, they’re the only ones here, Dean’s mind racing, they have to help Cas, they have to do something.

Things had gotten out of hand, all the demons they kept finding, it couldn’t be a coincidence, it was all connected, if only he knew how. Maybe if they had figured it out already, none of this would have happened, but they didn’t even know where to start.

As hunters, Sam and Dean had learned to cover their tracks and stay off the grid and one step ahead in every way possible, so how had the demons come upon their location? It seemed safe enough, they had been careful, as always. It didn’t matter now, things had gone horribly wrong. Demons outsmarted them this time, setting up a bomb, to kill them. But of course Cas would never let that happen, what he didn’t anticipate was that the bomb had angel blade shards, and now Cas wasn’t healing properly, more like not healing at all. **He’s dying** Dean thought, **I’m going to lose him**.

Sam was looking back, to make sure no one was following them or just checking on Cas, they had to leave the motel quickly to escape the demons who were trying to finish the job. Dean’s eyes were shifting from the road ahead to the rear view mirror every few seconds, although no one seems to be following them, he can’t look away from Cas.

 

“He’s still bleeding Sammy!” he said, his voice anxious.

 

“It must be the shards of angel blade, I don’t know if it’s enough to kill him, but enough to stop him, he wasn’t the target anyway, we were. We need a place to work this out, if the angel blade is preventing his body from healing, we need to get it out”.

 

“Yeah, how do you suppose we do that in the middle of freaking nowhere!?” Dean said, this was too much for him, “this was a small case man, how did this even happened!?”

 

“I don’t know Dean, I don’t know what’s going on; all these demons coming out of nowhere, what if the witches were a trap?”

 

Dean stares at him, realization dawned on him, they had been getting these kind of small cases, nothing that would attract too much attention, they almost seemed too easy; which is probably what they were, easy cases to lure them to a certain place, to what end? Kill them? They had worked several cases, why wait until this one in particular? What stopped them before?

 

“We can figure it out, but first we have to make sure Cas is ok” Sam says pulling Dean away from the questions burning in his mind now.

 

“Don’t you think I know that? Dammit Cas! Why did you have to stand in front of the damn bomb!?”

 

Sam turns to face Dean now, he sighs “You know why”.

 

The world outside the Impala is just a blur, trees coming and going as if on a loop. Dean can’t bring himself to face his brother, there are tears threating to fall from his eyes, and he blinks rapidly, willing them away. He doesn’t respond, he doesn’t trust his own voice right now. A look in the rear view mirror, and when his eyes go back to the road, he sees a figure, he slams on the breaks, Sam reaching back to stop Cas’ body from falling.

 

The figure’s still there, unmoving, in front of the Impala; and there’s something familiar about it too. **It’s the girl from the bar,** Dean remembers, they ran into her a few weeks ago, she saved them from more demons, and then vanished. And now she’s here in the middle of the lonely road. Dean sees her clearly, long brown wavy hair, her eyes are dark, but he’s pretty sure they’re also brown like chocolate, she’s wearing a grey tank top, red and black plaid shirt, jeans and chucks; there’s something hanging from her neck, it seems delicate and silvery, **wings**  Dean thinks, **they’re angel wings, hanging from her necklace**.

 

She’s looking at them, searching for something. Sam and Dean exchange a look, then they both get out of the car. **We don’t have time for this** , Dean thinks. The girl locks eyes with him. “Where is he!?” she sounds tired but determined, and most of all worried.

 

“Who?” asks Dean.

 

“Don’t play with me Winchester! _I felt it_! WHERE IS HE!?” says the girl, something wild in her eyes, like something is unraveling.

 

“Listen, we don’t know you, and we don’t know who you’re looking for, and we’re in a hurry, so can you please just…”

 

“Cas” she says, so quiet Dean’s not sure he heard her right. “Castiel, I’m searching for Castiel” she says, this time, voice steady.

 

Dean feels panic rising, he angles himself to cover the back door, as if he could protect the angel like this.

 

“Get out of my way” says the girl, moving around to get to him, walking with a small limp “He needs help”.

 

Dean shifts, towering over her, voice deep and threating “Like I said, we don’t know you, you wanna get to Cas, you go through me first”

 

“Don’t! This isn’t a game! He’s hurt, please, I can help” she says the last words quietly, eyes searching Dean’s, pleading.

 

Dean looks at her, she looks like she’s hurt as well; he moves backwards, eyes never leaving her, and opens the door. The girl closes the distance in quick strides and kneels, both hands moving to cradle Cas’ face. She looks up at Dean then, a questioning look. “What happened?” she says, demanding.

 

“It was a bomb” Sam says, speaking for the first time since the girl appeared, “Cas tried to protect us, there was angel blade on the bomb, we think the shards inside his body are preventing him from healing”.

 

“Angel blade” the girl breaths, as if unable to say more.

 

“He’s dying, isn’t he?” It’s Dean this time, a look of pure horror and pain in his features.

 

The girl stares at Dean for a long moment, tears in her eyes. Then her eyes hardened. “I’m not gonna let that happen” she says, urgent and determined. She looks back to Cas, rips his shirt open to reveal his chest, there are tiny creases all over it, where the angel blade went in. She puts her hand in the middle of his chest and starts mumbling, to the boys’ surprise, it’s Enochian.

 

The creases start glowing a little, just like her eyes; she manages to remove the shards, more like dissolve them and then drops to the pavement, body limp. Dean rushes to help her, and Cas gasps, opening his eyes.


	2. The Girl with the Angel Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I like going back and forth with the story, so this is just some background on our mystery girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is purely so you get a glimpse of my OC.  
> I'll try posting the next chapter in a few days, hope you like it. Feedback is always welcome.  
> Enjoy.

“It’s late” she says, as she gets off the couch “I gotta get back home”. Riley thinks this has been one of the laziest, yet greatest days she’s spent with Jay since they met.

 

Jay looks up at her, deep blue eyes shining, “It’s ok, you can stay if you want; not like you haven’t spent the night before” a smirk on his face.

 

“Yeah, but I can’t risk it, besides I know how cheery you are in the mornings” she says rolling her eyes.

 

She looks back at Jay and he’s giving her the puppy eyes, damn guys and their puppy eyes, although she’s a sucker for Jay’s.

 

“You know I have an early meeting tomorrow, a-very-important-to-my-future-kind-of-meeting” she says but, she doesn't feel super excited about leaving. Having spent all day in bed, catching up with Game of Thrones and eating pizza, well it was kind of heaven, for Riley at least, she always appreciated the “little things”.

 

“Fine” says Jay finally getting up. Riley smiles at him, oh how she loves his dorky dreamy boyfriend.

 

 

It’s been 2 and a half years since they met, they share a class right on their first semester at college, it didn't feel like something too important at first, but hey, Jay was sweet, funny, kind of a smart ass, and the worst, he was a little shy at first, which only made him more adorable. But what struck Riley about him was his response to her, he would never back down from a sarcasm contest, he would even start them, just to annoy her and see her roll her eyes, but she loved it. Also they had these really complex discussions about anything, from how the governments are ruling their countries, to who’s a better couple from the Avengers, they settle on a tie with Steve and Bucky, and, Natasha and Clint; you can feel the sexual tension pouring from them.

 

Jay walks Riley to the door, it’s chilly outside, winter’s coming… fast. In a few months, they’ll have graduated; they talked about moving to the city, Jay’s dad owns a few workshops around town, he obviously wants Jay to take over them, but Jay also had a fascination with art, he’s always been good with his hands, on a car or on the canvas. So he ended up with a double major, Business and Art, he’s dad was extremely supportive, in fact he’s giving Jay he’s own studio/apartment when he graduates. He knows nothing about it, Riley does cause Henry called her one day, ask to meet him for lunch, and told her he wanted her opinion on it, since they were moving together, he wanted to get it right but didn't want to spoil the surprise. It was perfect.

On the other hand, Riley studied marketing and advertising; she thought advertisement was also a form of art, when it was done correctly. She loves it.

 

Riley is out the door, turns around to kiss Jay goodnight, Jay’s looking behind her, brows furrowing. “It’s late Ri, are you sure you don’t want to stay?” he looks worried.

 

Riley turns to look, the street is empty, her apartment is a few blocks away, she always walks home, and she likes the time to think, especially on a chilly night. She looks back at Jay, “I’ll be fine, it’s not the first time I walk home, don’t worry about it. I’ll call you when I get there” she says, a small smile on her face.

 

Jay sighs, he knows she won’t change her mind, so he smiles at her, nods and leans in for a kiss, taking her face in his hands.

 

“I love you” she says quietly.

 

“I love you, angel” he says as he slides a hand from her face to her neck, resting over the pair of wings that hang from her necklace.

Wings, angel wings; Jay smiles at that, Riley has a fascination with them, so for their first anniversary, he got her the necklace with a pair of angel wings he’d designed; she loved it, never takes it off.

 

 

Riley turns and walks away, stealing one last look at his boyfriend, dark brown hair tuck behind his ears (she has a thing for his hair), blue eyes sparkling, full lips smiling at her; but his eyes are hard, worry and doubt on his expression. She turns and keeps walking.

It’s colder than she expected, but she’s halfway to her apartment building, millions of things going through her mind, tomorrow’s meeting, her parents, Jay, plans for the weekend. There’s a noise behind her, she freezes for a moment, but starts walking as if she hadn’t stopped, a little faster.

Streets are eerily empty; it’s not that late, she’s walked these streets much later but that doesn’t matter. Hands in her pockets, she holds her keys a bit tighter. Another sound, now followed by steps, not just one set either, she feels them closing in on her.

 

She’s almost home, but a figure appears right in front of her, out of an alley; she doesn’t stop but starts turning as if to cross the street, walking faster, the figures comes closer and before she can go down the street a hand grabs her from behind, and pulls her back, she screams but there’s a hand over her mouth. Panic. Now she’s looking for a way out, she gets her hands out of her pockets swinging her keys trying to connect with the guy’s head, she does. She frees herself from the guy’s hold and sprints but there’s another figure blocking her way.

 

She tries sidestepping him but she can’t, they back her up against the wall, she should have stayed at Jay’s, she won’t see him again, or her parents or her friends; then she stops, she can’t think like this, the guys are hovering over her now, only shadows and noise, one of them grabs her by her arm. She wants to scream but nothing comes out, and then, there’s a light, and heat radiating from somewhere, she can’t think about it, she just wants to get out of there. The light is blinding, the guys are freaking out now, they don’t know what’s going on either. Riley feels warm inside, she can’t stand the light it’s too bright, she takes a breath and then nothing.


	3. Clear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They hunters and the angel get to know more about their rescuer. Riley is still a little shady and Dean doesn't like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post this a few days ago, but I had a lot of work this week, SORRY.  
> Hope you enjoy.

Riley opens her eyes, sitting up straight, she’s in a motel room, light spilled out from between old blinds, she squints a little, surveying the room; there’s someone on the bed next to hers. She rises from the bed, making the mattress squeak, she flinches; but there seems to be no movement from the other person, except for a steady breathing. Her hands are wrapped in bandages and her legs feel weak, healing Cas had taken its toll on her body. She peeks at the figure, Cas, lying on his back, features relaxed, he seems to be healing properly and resting peacefully.

She veers to make her way out, when the bathroom door opens, and Sam walks out, turning his attention to her; he stops, regarding her with wary eyes, his hands going up a little as if not to scare her.

 

“Hi there” he says “we didn't know how long you’d be out”

Riley just stares.

“How are you feeling?” Sam continues, dropping his hands.

“Um, I’m okay, I guess” Riley stammers, voice hoarse.

 

She’s been out for a while it seems, long enough for her body to have healed almost completely after using that much power. Healing others was always difficult. But what she did with Cas, that had been a first; no one had the power to fight angel blade except for God, probably. Then again, no one knew what she knew. When the memories started coming back, it was clear that some of the things she remembered weren't meant for other eyes except hers. Honestly all she cared about was helping Cas, he’s recovering, and now it’s time to get out of there, before he sees her.  


Sam’s still watching her, a questioning look on his face.

“Thank you” he says “for helping Cas, and for helping us, the other day at the bar.”

 Riley stays quiet.

“Um, so I’m guessing you’re an angel.” Sam’s brows go up a little.

Sam walks a few steps towards her, while Riley takes a step backwards.

“I have to go” Riley blurts out, she turns her head a little, looking for a way out, which is stupid, she could just vanish, but her human body still responds to its instincts, self-preservation is a priority for humans. She straightens up, and forces herself to stay where she is.

“You’re still healing” he states “besides; I think you might want to talk to Cas”

“I don’t” she lies, of course she wants to. Even though she can’t remember a lot, she feels like it would be wrong to talk to him, she feels ashamed, she doesn’t know why, but the feeling is there and she can’t let him see her.

 

Sam looks as if he’s pondering on what to say next, finally, he sighs, running his fingers through his hair and shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Look we don’t know who you are, and you showing up to help us at the right time, don’t get me wrong, we appreciate it, but it’s a little suspicious. So, why don’t you just tell me who you are and what you’re after. You owe us at least an explanation”.

“I don’t owe you anything” she counters, exasperated, turning around and reaching for the door. But she’s too late, the door swings open, revealing Dean in the doorway, a look of surprise crosses Dean’s face, his eyes focusing on the girl.

“I hope you’re not leaving, I brought breakfast” he scolds, cocking an eyebrow.

 

                                                                                 ..................................................................................................

 

Riley sits on the edge of the bed, watching over Cas. Dean hands her a cup of coffee and sits at the little table across from Sam, both facing her.

“So, you wanna tell us who you are? And why are you helping us? I thought by now, the only angel willing to help us was Cas…” he muses, contemplating Cas’ resting figure, eyes soft, a sad smile on his lips.

“I can’t” she turns to them.

Dean frowns “You can’t?

Riley sighs “I – I don’t. I can’t remember, I don’t know who I am. I mean, I know who I am, as a human, this body, my name is Riley; but I don’t know who I really am, as an angel”

The brothers exchange a look, worry and mistrust visible. “So, why are you helping us?” Dean grumbles.

When she doesn't respond, he continues “unless you weren't trying to help **us** …” he’s studying her, “you were trying to help Cas”.

“I’m trying to keep him safe” she assures.

“So, you know him” Sam suggests

“All angels know each other” she concedes

“That’s not what I meant” Dean objects.

“I remember him” she confesses. “I don’t even know my own name, but I remember him. I even dreamed of him while I was still human.”

 

The silence stretches.

“Thank you” Dean breaths, finally “for saving him, I thought we were going lose him”

“Well, it’s my responsibility, or at least, I think it is…” She stands and goes around the bed, looking down at Cas, left hand reaching for him, she stops before she can place it over his forehead, and turns to the boys.

“I’m guessing you know something that we don’t, about the demons?” Sam asks.

She’s quiet.

“You know we’re the Winchester, right? We can help.”

“You can’t” she interrupts him “you can’t help, not this time; trust me, it’s best if you stay out of it.”

 

Before they can continue, Cas starts coughing, Dean shots up from the chair and crosses the room in a few long strides, he seems worried.

“Cas, baby?” he whispers, sitting on the bed.

“Dean…” Cas wonders with a husky voice, eyes searching until he finds Dean’s face. Dean takes Cas hand between both of his, eyes worried. Cas just smiles at him, it’s a weak smile but it’s enough to pull one out from Dean.

Riley just stands there, watching. After a few moments Cas turns his head, regarding her, he blinks, confused “who is this?”. Riley stays unmoving in front of the bed, suppressing the need to get closer and hold him tight for eternity.

Sam stands up, walking behind her “Uh, Cas, this is Riley, she healed you, we were hoping you could tell us who she is…”

Cas shakes his head, frowning. “I’m sorry but I don’t think I recognize you”

“It’s ok, I didn't think you could” she assures him.

Cas seems baffled. “The bomb!” he urges “Are you guys okay?”.

The boys nod “we’re fine” Sam adds, “You gave us a scare though, the angel blade, it didn't let you heal”

“Angel blade?” Cas hesitates, eyes wide with alarm. “What do you mean?”

Dean explains what had happened and how Riley had helped him.

“But – that’s impossible, angel blade is the only way to kill angels; you can’t heal from an angel blade wound.” Cas argues.

They turn to her, Dean staring accusingly.

 

“What did you do to him!?” Dean demands, while he walks up to her, a hand closing around her throat.

“I helped him” she mumbles.

“How!? What did you do?” Dean is furious, but his eyes are fearful.

“I don’t know how, I just knew what I had to do and… I couldn't let you die” Riley explains, glancing at Cas.

Sam reaches for his brother’s arm “Dean, calm down. She helped him, she helped us”.

“He doesn't even know her! Why would she want to help him!? Unless she wants something from him, or us” Dean growls.

Riley keeps her eyes on him, steady.

“She doesn't remember who she is…” Sam remarks.

“Dean…” Cas insists, sitting up on the bed. Dean drops his hand.

 

“Why don’t you tell us what you know? And how did you find us?” Sam suggests.

“If you wanted to leave, you’d be gone already” Cas interjects.

Riley sighs, defeated “It’s a long story you might want to sit down”

                   

                                                                                       ..................................................................................

 

Riley tells them everything she remembers, her name is Riley Harrington, she’s 23 years old, she was a student at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She tells them she remembers every possible thing from her human life, and how she was attacked one night while walking to her apartment, almost a year ago. She had woken up minutes later, after seeing a bright white light, she remembers freaking out when she heard voices in her head, hundreds of voices and she couldn’t make them stop. She then saw her attackers on the floor, their eyes were burned out. The only thing that kept her from losing her mind was the name that was repeating, non-stop. “ **Castiel** ”.

She touches the wings hanging from her necklace, “After listening to the name over and over, I was able to calm myself and started shutting down the voices, well, I picked the ones I wanted to hear; and I had this urge to go somewhere, so I got in my car and drove to some place near Baltimore, where I found my grace. The moment I got it back, the memories started coming back as well; not all at once though, I keep remembering things now. I guess angels have a long life span” she laughs sarcastically.

Three pairs of eyes fall on her, full of wonder; one with a hint of sympathy, one with understanding and one with annoyance.

 

“So you fell 20 something years ago?” Sam asks.

“Well, I’m not sure, I mean, I’m 23 but I don’t know if I've been here that long. I could have been here longer than that, a lifetime before, two even” she suggests “It sucks not knowing, I keep trying to get back those specific memories, the ones that could help me understand what happened. Why did I fall? How long ago? Maybe I was a bad angel and they cast me out, I honestly don’t know”

“I don’t believe you were ever bad, or you wouldn't even bother to help anyone” Cas states.

“Or maybe she was and she’s changing her story to get our sympathy” Dean grunts, rolling his eyes.

“Why would I lie to you? I looked all over for you and when I finally found you, I kept track of you, to make sure you were safe. I kept all of those demons away, or did you think that was a coincidence?”

“So, you were following us” Dean counters, visibly upset.

Riley sighs, “Yes, I was, and I tried keeping demons out of your way”

“Oh! You did and amazing job the other night”

“Dean” Sam and Cas say at the same time, scolding him.

“More demons have been showing up lately, I didn't expect it to happen so quickly; it was never my intention for you to even acknowledge my presence. The night at the bar, I was sure I’d sent them looking for you the other way, when they showed up again, I couldn't leave you there unprotected”. Now she’s uneasy and anxious “It doesn't matter anymore, they caught up with me, they figured out what I was doing, that’s why they attacked me at the same time they came for you at the motel”.

“You could have warned us” Cas mutters “you didn't have to take it all on yourself”

“I didn't want you to know. I thought I could handle it, and I wanted to keep them away from you, I need to keep you safe” she says looking earnestly at Cas. “I don’t remember a lot of things, but I do know that my job is to protect you” she laughs “I felt the need to protect everyone around me when I was human, I couldn't help but feel something or rather someone was missing. That is, until I heard your name. Suddenly, I knew I had to find you, I was able to control myself. I knew what I had to do”.


	4. Adjustment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter focuses on how Dean and Cas' friendship finally evolved into a romantic relationship and something else, I guess... You know what I'm talking about ;)  
> Hope you like it.
> 
> Enjoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is set a while back in the timeline, when Cas had just lost his grace.  
> The previous chapters are set on the present time, and Cas has his grace back. JUST FYI.
> 
> Finally the smut and fluff I had promised, this is my first time writing smut, so be gentle with me... 
> 
> Okay, I kinda had writers block for a couple of weeks after I posted the last chapter, which is why it took me so long to finish this. I wrote some stuff here and there but nothing consistent.  
> When I sat down and started working again, I was afraid the chapter would be too short, then I got a bit carried away, because the ideas started coming and I couldn't stop writing, so there you go.

Riley and Cas stayed at the motel, while Sam and Dean got provisions. They were leaving in the morning, Cas was still recovering and Dean wanted to make sure he was feeling better before they hit the road. It was quiet, Dean’s mind wandering, both hands on the wheel and Sam was looking out the window, a soft orange glow from the sun, night coming.

 

“I still don’t trust her” Dean says, breaking the silence. “I think there’s something she’s not telling us”.

Sam snorts “Are you sure that’s all it is?”

Dean scowls at him “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, Riley might not remember a lot of things, but she sure knows Cas, she’s very protective of him, to say the least”

“And?”

“And, that’s kinda always been your department”

“What are you saying? That I’m jealous? Of **_her_**?” he scoffs.

“Hey, you said it, not me” Sam replies, the corners of his mouth twitching, he’s holding a laugh.

“Why don’t you shut you cakehole and go get us some food, bitch” Dean counters while parking baby at the gas station.

“Jerk” Sam responds automatically, getting out of the car and turns to Dean, a smirk on his face “Funny thing how you said **cakehole** , what should I bring you for dessert, Dean? I don’t think pie’s your favorite anymore…”

Dean glowers at him, the tips of his ears turning red. “Sammy” he warns.

“Okay, okay” Sam puts his hands up, backing away, he’s still smiling though.

Sam enters the store while Dean fuels Baby, his mind drifting to the moment he and Cas became, well, _He and Cas_.

 

They were on a job, in Portland; Cas had just become human, after that dickhead Metatron took his grace and used it for the spell to cast out every angel from heaven. Cas was struggling with the physical demands of his body, emotions and feelings; but he wanted to help the brothers.

When they first looked into the case, the evidence said witches. People were dying under strange circumstances, but were ruled suicides, none of them were related. However when they started investigating, all the victims shared what people called an unrequited love; every victim had been in love with someone who didn’t returned their feelings, that led the victims to suffer, everything from mood swings to depression; which explained why they had been ruled as suicides. There were no hex bags, so witches were out. With this information, Sam and Dean started thinking these were really just unfortunate events and not a real case. But the people they interviewed told them that the victims had no other reason to be sad or depressed, they were happy with their lives. Also, there had to be a trigger for the peak in suicides on the last month.

 

On their third night there, the boys went to a bar, Sam had his computer and was trying to pull some files from de police department about the cases, Dean was eating and he noticed Cas was quiet, hunched, staring at the table. Dean reached out a hand and placed it on Cas shoulder.

 

“You ok there, Cas?” he asked, he knew it was difficult for the former angel to get used to humanity, it was all new to him.

Cas looked up at him, a serious expression on his face but his eyes were sad. “Yes, of course” is all he said. He then turned to Sam and started questioning him about some of the evidence. Dean didn’t push the issue, but he thought it was strange, Cas and the boys had been on really good terms for a while now, all of them forgiven for previous mistakes, they were family after all.

Dean continued watching Cas throughout the evening; when he was not discussing the case, he was quiet, and when Dean wasn’t looking, he could feel Cas’ stare on him, the moment he lifted his head Cas would look away.

On the ride back to the motel, Cas was on the back seat. Dean kept flicking his eyes between the road and Cas every few seconds. Cas stared out of the window for most of the ride. Dean could hear him sigh heavily and look down, and then he turned to the window, once more. Dean was worried now, something was off with Cas, and Dean had noticed it the moment they set foot in town.

 

 

Now Dean would never let anyone know, but the case was screwing with his head, people dying because of unrequited love, it was just too close to home. Dean, as much as he wanted to ignore it, had feelings for Cas, and they were most definitely **not** just friendly feelings. Cas was his family, but he had connected with the angel in a way he hadn’t connected with anyone in a relationship before. They shared what Cas called a _more profound bond_ , Dean felt that way too, he was just afraid to show it or tell him; mostly because he thought Cas was strictly stating they were family. Dean thought impossible, even laughable that Cas could return his feelings.

Cas had been an angel, and angels weren’t supposed to feel, let alone fall in love with humans, and that was all Dean was, a human. Even if an angel could fall in love, even now that Cas was human, there was no way he could fall for Dean; he was too damaged, there was nothing he could offer Cas, even if he tried, he was just a broken soul, not even a whole human, not after going through hell and purgatory.

After a while of fighting back the feelings, he just gave up, because there was no life he could imagine, not loving **_his_** angel; if he could not have him in reality, dreams were his escape. He would dream of Cas, almost every night; bright blue eyes staring softly at him, questioning, demanding, seeing straight through him. Dean holding Cas in his arms, brushing the hair off his forehead and patting it, taking Cas’ face in his hands and kissing him slowly, tenderly, lips brushing as Dean would whisper ‘ _I love you’_ over and over, and feel his angel smile against his lips, then hearing him sigh, content, and respond ‘ _I love you, Dean’_.

Dean hated waking up right after having these dreams, because he felt hope and love, and then reality came crashing down and he felt hollow; the feeling of burying his face on Cas’ neck, still fresh in his mind, but unattainable.

 He was always happy to see Cas, but he was careful not to let it show, especially around Sam; his brother knew him too well, and he couldn’t risk letting the façade crack.

Since they got here, however, all the dreams had turned into nightmares; the feelings of love towards the angel had turned into despair and misery, and every time he looked at him, he felt like something was tearing him apart from the inside. Because no matter how much he tried or what he did he could never have him.

 

Tonight was no different, he fell asleep, this time dreams weren’t better than reality, he woke up after a few hours, he couldn’t sleep anymore so he got out of bed, Sammy was sleeping like a rock, on the other bed. He looked around the room but there was no sign of Cas, he usually took the couch since he was smaller. He noticed the light of the bathroom through the cracks of the closed door. Dean walked around the beds and reached for the door, he turned the knob but the door was locked. Dean tried again, it didn’t budge, his eyebrows furrowed. “Cas?” he called softly. There was no answer.

“Cas, are you in there?” he tried again.

This time, he heard a faint “Dean”.

Dean’s eyes widen, he started calling for Cas while pounding on the door. Sam appeared behind Dean, he was looking around, alert. Dean kicked the door down.

They found Cas holding a small knife between his fingers, arms covered in marks from his wrists and along his forearms.

Dean was frantic. “WHAT THE HELL, CAS!?” he screamed as he took the blade from his hand and threw it away.

Dean took Cas’ wrist, and squeezed, he turned to his brother “Sammy” he cried.  

Sam was shocked; he knelt beside him, passing a towel.

 

                                                                          ..........................………………………………………………..……………..

 

Neither Sam nor Dean slept for the rest of the night. Morning came and Sam was sitting on the bed, balancing his laptop on his knees, he was going through every story and file he’d managed to get from the town and its surroundings, that could give them an answer to what was happening; now determined to find it, because there was something causing the behavior Cas presented the previous night, the same behavior the victims presented.

 After stopping the bleeding, Dean had carried Cas to the bed, Dean was almost sitting, his back against the headboard, supporting Cas’ weight, Cas’ back pressed to Dean’s chest, his head against Dean’s left shoulder, his hands around the angel’s wrists. Dean wanted to take Cas to the hospital, but Sam advised against it. The bleeding had stopped; the cuts were shallow, so Cas hadn’t lost a lot of blood. Sam knew if they went to the ER, people will start asking questions and they would have to check in Cas for a few days, for treatment and diagnosis. He assured Dean that Cas just needed to rest and it was okay to let him lie down on the bed, but Dean insisted on staying with him. Sam then proceeded to bandage the angel, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing Dean; he looked up at his brother while he worked. Dean had his head down, staring at the hot pink lines on Cas’ forearms, his eyes were full of tears, his freckled face red, he was trying to stop himself from showing how much this was affecting him; but of course, Sam knew how much Cas meant to him. Sam finished with the bandages, took out his laptop and started working; glancing towards his brother every now and then, just to make sure he was okay.

 

“Dean” Sam finally disrupted the silence. “I think I found something” he’d been reading for hours.

Dean turned to him expectantly. Cas started shuffling a bit. Dean didn’t move, “Cas?” he asked softly into his ear. “Cas, hey you’re okay, I got you”.

Cas groaned, opening his eyes, he tried to push himself off of Dean, but Dean hold him back, a hand across his stomach “Don’t move, please. Just - just stay here, okay? Let Sammy check out your bandages first”. Cas stopped moving, compliant.

Sam sat, once again on the edge of the bed. “Cas, how do you feel? Do you remember what happened last night?”

Castiel just stared at him, and then at the bandages, then back to Sam. “I’m so sorry” he said, voice cracking. “I don’t know how this happened… I just… I’m sorry…” he said with a husky voice.

Dean shifted behind him. “Don’t apologize, this wasn’t you… was it?” Dean asked, alarmed.

“I… I don’t know, I don’t think so, I just, I was feeling so… sad and upset and…” Cas sighed heavily, it seemed like he was tired just for speaking, and he was breathing fast.

“Someone or something is doing this” Dean assured the angel “when I find who or what I’m gonna send them straight to hell!”

“I found something” Sam interrupted him, while working on Cas’ bandages. “There was a suicide about 80 years ago, Cameron Ackerman, came from an accommodated family and was in love with Jillian Holt, she was like the most beautiful girl in town; unfortunately Jillian had been promised to a man of a very wealthy family, and so, they couldn’t be together, even though according to some of Cameron’s letters to Jillian, they were very much in love and were even planning to run away together. Before they could do that though, Jillian’s parents sent her away to the family of the man she was going to marry…”

“Let me guess” Dean snapped “Cameron couldn’t bear the thought of living without the love of his life and the son of a bitch decided to go all Juliet and wait for her on the other side. Classic love tragedy stuff” he ranted, rolling his eyes. He was so done with this case.

“Yeah…” Sam continued “Except Cameron was also a girl. They started spending too much time together and people of the town noticed, Jillian’s parents wanted to get her as far away from Cameron as possible, so they found a suitable man for her. Anyway, Cameron was found dead on her room, she um… she stabbed herself with a dagger, right through her heart. She explained on her last letter to Jillian, she no longer care for it, since it had always and will always belong to her. I found the letters on the library site, Cameron’s family was one of the founding families of the town, so they keep record of them.”

Cas’ eyes were unfocused, he hadn’t move since Sam started talking. Dean shifted so he could look at him. “What?” he asked.

Cas stared back at him “The story… that would mean it’s a ghost”.

“Yeah” Dean affirmed “good to know, now we can get rid of it”

“There’s something else” Sam mused. “Cameron had a… fascination with Greek mythology, and there was a mention of The Algea, on her letter. The Algea are the spirits of pain and suffering of both the mind and body. They were also goddesses of grief, sorrow, and distress. They were known as the bringers of weeping and tears. She wrote in her last letter that these spirits helped her move on…”

“What? She blamed some spirits for her poor choices?” Dean protested.

“I imagine she was desperate, and suffering. For Jillian to be taken away from her was pretty much like killing her. Also, at the time, two women as a couple... it must had been difficult for them, I guess” Sam prompted.

“That’s what I felt” Cas said almost inaudible. The brothers stared at him, but none of them pressured him for more. But Sam could see the worry and fear on his brother’s eyes, as he searched Cas’ face for answers.

Again Cas was silent, and Dean seemed lost in thought, so Sam continued, “I think Cameron doesn’t think it’s fair that she suffered so much and now wants to make others suffer. I think she’s using the Algea as a representation, for the attacks. There have been at least a couple of suicides every 10 years since she died…”

“Every 10 years?” Dean questioned.

“Cameron and Jillian had known each other for 10 years when all of that happened, according to some articles I found.” Sam informed.

“Okay, well; is there something special this year? I mean you say it’s just been a couple of suicides at a time. We’re investigating at least 10 right now. And it doesn’t seem like it’ll stop soon”

“I’m still on it” Sam granted. “But I want to check the library, see if they got more information on both of them” he got up, taking his bag with him. He turned to the angel and his brother. “Cas, you should rest. And stay together. I’ll be back as soon as I can, if something comes up, I’ll call”

Cas nodded, Dean grabbed his keys and tossed them to Sam.

 

                                                                                ……………………………………………………………………….

 

Dean finally let Cas lie down on the bed, while he got some food; Dean was afraid of leaving Cas alone, but Cas insisted he was feeling better. They had breakfast and Cas watched TV, while Dean went through Sam’s laptop. He’d been reading about Cameron and Jillian.

 

“I understand why she did it” Cas announced, “I think, now I know how they felt”

Dean looked at him, waiting for more.

Cas turned his blue eyes on Dean “Being human is difficult, you have to deal with the loss of the people you love, how do you even do that?” he asked, upset.

Dean sighed, “I don’t know man, honestly. I … we’ve lost a lot of people, our family; you just have to find the strength to go through it and move on”

Cas was regarding him, visibly alarmed. “I don’t think I could handle something like that. I couldn’t handle loosing you… or Sam…”

Dean stood up, leaving the laptop on the table and crossed the room; he sat next to Cas, who was propped by some pillows. “You don’t have to go through that, I’m here, we’re here. We’re not going anywhere.” he stressed every word, and took Cas’ hand between his.

Cas was staring straight ahead. “Promise?” he asked, squeezing Dean’s hand.

Dean reached for Cas’s face, turning his head so he would look at him “I promise, angel”

Cas managed a sad smile. “I’m not an angel anymore. I wouldn’t be in this state if I was”

“Well, you’ll always be an angel for me, Cas”. Dean stated, as if it were the only truth he knew. “You saved me, remember?” he grinned. “Gripped me tight, raised me from perdition, all that…” he continued with a playful tone. “You know, my mom always said angels were watching over me, but after what we went through when we were younger, I didn’t believe in angels. Not until I met you…” he sighed. “…You’re _my angel”_

 

                                                                                      …………………………………………………………….

 

By the end of the week, the guys had managed to stop the spirit of Cameron from continuing the killing spree. It turned out that a relative had just moved back to town, and she had carried some family stuff from her previous house, amongst the paintings and jewelry, they found Cameron’s diary.

The spirit wasn’t happy the guys were trying to get rid of it, so she defended herself. The Algea were just a representation after all, so they just had to take care of the spirit. It was Sam, who ultimately finished the job, burning the book. The spirit attacked both Cas and Dean, leaving them in a state of panic, each imagining various ways in which they would lose the other. The spirit attacked people who were in love, so if it wasn’t clear for everyone in the room before, it was clear now, that the hunter and the former angel were very much in love.

That night Sam offered to get provisions for the way home, leaving the other two to work their stuff out.

 

They were standing in the middle of the room, facing each other, a few feet apart, both avoiding looking directly at the other. The silence stretched, finally when it was too much, Cas spoke. “Dean, about what happened tonight…”

Dean looked up to him, wonder in his eyes. He saw Cas’ brow furrow while he searched for the right words, and Dean couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Cas” he whispered, closing the space between them.

“I felt like I lost you tonight, over and over…” he continued, rushing now “Cas I can’t…” he looked up at him “I love you” he said simply, heart pounding.

Cas shifted so he could see him better.

Dean couldn’t stop now “I fucking love you, okay!? And it drives me crazy, every time I’m with you I just… you’re my angel, you saved me, and I know I’m fucked up, after everything I’ve done, I know I can’t offer you something better, I wish I could, because you deserve better, you deserve everything and I can’t…” tears were streaming down freckled cheeks.

“Dean” Cas said.

But before he could continue, Dean’s lips were on Cas’, silencing him. The kiss was chaste, just a peck; Dean holding Cas’ face between his hands, this time it wasn’t a dream; everything he did, everywhere he touched, was real. Every word he said, spoken out loud. Dean drew back after a moment, Cas’ eyes were wide with surprise.

“I love you, Dean Winchester” he announced, a little breathless. “You are the most beautiful soul I’ve ever laid eyes on. The things you do, you do for others. You’re always taking care of everyone, but you never let anyone take care of you. And you tell me I don’t deserve you?” Cas reached for Dean, a hand cupping his face, “You are everything to me. Everything”.

Dean couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “I love you” Dean whispered against Cas’ mouth, lips almost brushing, he chuckled “I have loved you since the moment you carry my sorry ass back from hell”.

And because he couldn’t help it, he leaned in again, this time he didn’t draw back, he waited and after what felt like forever, Cas responded, soft lips moving against his. Dean smiled and continued kissing Cas, a bit rougher and more demanding. Cas conceded, parting his lips to give Dean entrance.

 

Years of built up tension between the two seemed to vanish, their walls finally coming down. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas’ waist, Cas’ arms around Dean’s neck. Dean shifted and led Cas to the bed, pushing him down without breaking the heated kiss, his knees on either side of Cas hips, straddling him. Dean turned his head and kissed along Cas’ neck, making him gasp.

Cas had no idea what was happening, the sensations he was getting from what Dean was doing were all new, and he couldn’t think straight; but honestly he didn’t care. Because this man, the one he had gripped tight and raised from perdition, the one that had showed him the true meaning of family, the righteous man who deserved everything good in life; this man loved him, and that was all that mattered. So whatever Dean wanted to do, he would accept it gladly.

Dean leaned back; he stared at the angel for a moment, regarding him before descending on him again. His hands were everywhere; he wanted to memorize Cas, every inch of his body. Dean got the hem of Cas’ maroon hoodie and pulled it over his head; then he removed his own jacket. Cas didn’t waste time and pulled him in for a sloppy kiss, urgent now; hands roaming over Dean’s chest, sides and back, exploring. Dean’s hands got to the hem of Cas’ shirt, and he slipped his hands under it, a shudder went through Cas’ body, a moan escaped from his lips, but it was silenced by Dean’s mouth. Dean removed the rest of the clothing, a piece at a time. It was driving Cas crazy, his hips shifting and bucking against Dean’s to get friction; he really had no idea of what was going on, but it seemed that his body knew exactly what it was doing, so he just went with it.

Dean responded to Cas’ movements, a hand rubbing his cock through the boxers, Cas was hard. Dean alternated between kissing Cas open mouth, and going for his neck, teeth grazing the skin, sucking on his pulse, leaving tiny bruises along Cas’ collarbone. Cas was frantic, touching and holding on to Dean as if his life depended on it, moans, gasps and sighs coming out of his full lips every time Dean started a different task over his body.

Dean loved hearing Cas make all those noises, it got him hard in seconds and he was rutting against Cas’ thigh.

 

At last, Dean got to the waistband of Cas’ boxers; Dean drew back, leaning on his left arm. “Cas” he said, voice raw and deep. Cas stared up at him, his eyes darkened, the blue almost unnoticeable; the sight of Cas staring back at him that way made Dean’s dick twitch. “Cas, we don’t - we don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to…” Dean said, breathing heavy.

“I want to” Cas interrupted, determined.

That was all Dean needed to hear, he slipped a hand under Cas’ boxers and closed his fist around his cock, Cas was big and hard; Dean saw the reaction of Cas’ face as he did this, eyes closing, mouth opening. Dean had never been more turned on in his life.

He started pumping his fist up and down, now slicked with precum; while his mouth went down to the angel’s neck, once again. This time, he didn’t just graze the skin, he bit softly on it, Cas loved it.

“Dean” he whimpered, pleading.

Dean rose from the bed; he took his own boxers off, and then slid Cas’ down his legs and out of the way. Dean kissed Cas hard; he started with his mouth, then his neck, and he went down his chest. He went along his stomach, until he got to his hipbones. Cas’ hipbones were sinful, so Dean took his time, nibbling, and lapping with his tongue along the lines, over the soft skin. Cas was a writhing mess beneath him. And Dean was so hard now, precum running down his cock, he didn’t think he’d last long, but he was willing to try.

Cas felt like he was floating. Never in all of his existence had he experienced something even remotely close to this. If he ever died as a human, he was sure this was his heaven. At first he tried to fight the urges to make sounds and moves, but it seemed Dean liked it whenever he emitted a sound or bucked his hips, especially if he called his name.

Dean was flushed against Cas’ body, his mind racing. He wanted to take Cas and fuck him into the mattress until Cas was crying out his name and coming undone beneath him. But Cas had been a human for just about 2 months, this was Cas’ first time so Dean willed himself to take it slow and make his angel enjoy every second of it.

 

After an interminable assault to his hipbones, Cas felt Dean’s head hovering over his cock, he opened his eyes and turned to see Dean as he took him in his mouth. Cas’ head hit the pillows, back arching from the bed, hips pressing up; he felt Dean’s hand pushing over his hips, holding him in place. Wet heat enclosing his now throbbing dick, he felt Dean bobbing his head up and down at a slow pace at first, sucking and kissing, he’d hummed every now and then, which sent a shiver through Cas’ body and make his cock twitch. Cas’ hands flew to Dean’s head, and ran his fingers through Dean’s hair, fists closing around the soft dirty blond strands. Dean picked up the pace and uncovered his teeth just a bit, grazing over the sensitive skin, tongue lapping on the underside of his cock, and pressing against the slit. Cas could feel something building up in his belly, his breath hitching. “Dean… please…” his voice shaky.

Dean let go of Cas with a pop, he wrapped his right hand around Cas and started pumping faster, he went in for a kiss, propping himself on his left arm; Cas was beautiful, and he wanted to see him come, he wanted to remember this forever. Cas was so close to release, he put his hands on Dean’s shoulder, as if he was his lifeline. Dean bent down; and grazed his teeth over Cas’ ear. “Let go, angel. Come for me…” Dean breathed.

Apparently that was exactly what Cas needed to hear, when Dean leaned back up, he saw Cas’ face contort into hot beautiful ecstasy, back arching higher, mouth opened, hands clawing at his shoulder blades, and those beautiful blue eyes staring intensely at him, nothing else existed in that moment except them.

Cas felt the pressure being released through his body. “Dean…” he hissed, toes curling, hands fisting the sheets; Dean jerked Cas through his orgasms, almost drawing it out of him. When he finished, Cas was trying to catch his breath; he was coming down from his orgasm and felt Dean shift.

 

Dean was still straddling him; he took his own cock in his right hand and started pumping. It was a miracle Dean hadn’t come just from contemplating Cas, he was so beautiful, so perfect, and the image of him reaching his orgasm, was imprinted in Dean’s mind. He’s hand was going faster, hips shifting erratically. Cas was taking in the view, bewildered. He reached out both hands and placed them on Dean’s hips, at the contact, Dean look down. Again those beautiful blue eyes were on him, full of wonder and surprise.

He felt Cas swatting his hand away; Cas straightened up, and wrapped his fingers around Dean’s length. He replicated the movements he’d felt moments before, and squeezed, twisting his hand a bit to the sides; Dean groaned, his hands coming down on Cas’ shoulder for support.

Cas took this as encouragement and licked his lips; he took Dean in his mouth. “Fuck. Cas…” he grunted, shifting his hands and running his fingers through Cas’ hair. It was so soft, how many times he’d fantasized of playing with Cas’ hair, and it almost drove him over the edge; okay so it was definitely a kink. Dean’s hips darted forward. He felt Cas hollowed out his cheeks, sucking hard, tongue twisting around his cock. “Cas – I … I’m gonna come!”

Dean pushed Cas back. The angel was surprised for a second at the sudden loss of contact. Dean jerked himself through his orgasm; he came in hot waves all over Cas’ chest. He fell next to Cas, catching his breath. When he opened his eyes, bright green encountered deep blue, a smile was plastered on Cas face, and that made Dean smile. They lay there together until Dean was able to control his breathing; he was looking at Cas sideways through hooded eyes, Cas mirroring his expression.

 

“How – umm. Was that… okay?” Dean asked, timid.

“Okay?” Cas repeated, astonished. “It was extraordinary”. He was beaming.

“Oh, oh, good” Dean chuckled. “Well, yes I think extraordinary is the exact word I would use” he noted. “Are you, umm. Are you okay? Did I do something I shouldn’t have? Or…” Dean hesitated.

Cas cut him off. “Dean, it was perfect. All of it, I …” he huffed a laugh. He turned to him “You are perfect.” Cas’ tone was serious, but his eyes were glinting, he smiled at Dean playfully.

Calm washed over Dean, he sighed with relief. “Forgive me, but I’d thought about this moment for a while now, I just want to make sure you enjoyed it as much as I did…”

“Oh!” Cas breathed. “Of course I did, I’d never experienced anything like it before. I see now, why this is a big deal down here” he mused, blushing; a shy smile on his lips.

“Yeah? There’s a lot more we can do” Dean offered.

Cas looked confused. “There is?” he asked expectantly.

 “Yes” Dean laughed at Cas’ eagerness. “But we’ll take it slow, alright? Whenever you’re ready, angel”.

 

Dean got up, ordering Cas not to move, he went to get a couple of wet warm towels and cleaned the mess on Cas’ chest, then proceeded to clean himself.

They lay there for a few minutes, kissing lazily, talking in hushed tones and laughing softly; whispering I love you’s in between. Dean heard the Impala pulling on the front. He helped Cas to his feet, kissed him and led him to the shower.

He could hear Sam ruffling through the bags over the running water. Sam called out, letting them know he’d brought dinner. Dean smiled at himself and called back, telling him they’d be out in a few minutes. Dean took the time to wash Cas’ hair, yep, it was a kink all right. Cas hummed content, he hadn’t stopped smiling, and Dean was happy for it; whenever he looked at Dean, it spread wide, making his eyes wrinkle a little. Dean loved it; he’d returned the smile every time.

After they cleaned themselves up and put on fresh clothes, they came out of the bathroom. Sam handed them bags with burgers and fries, Dean’s favorites. Sam appeared to be in a good mood, smiling at both his brother and the angel. He never brought up the subject, for Sam, it was something that had been settled long before it even occurred. He was just happy they were all okay, and his brother had finally told the angel what Sam knew Dean had felt for him, for a long time. **It was about time, jerk.** He thought, proud, smiling to himself.


	5. Scrutiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I'd like to apologize for taking so long on this chapter, work has been taking so much of my time lately, but hey here you go. Enjoy.

 

 

Sam got food for all of them. Even though Riley was now an angel, her human body kept demanding sustenance.

Sam got him and Dean tacos at Dean’s insistence, also pie. A cheeseburger and fries for Riley and candy and chocolate for Cas, even though Cas stated he didn’t need anything, Dean always got something for him, especially chocolate.

 

The trip back was quiet, and the boys started to relax a bit. Not for long though.

 

When they got back to the motel, they found Riley standing at the far end corner between a bed and the wall, a bruise on the left side of her face, mouth and nose bleeding, angel blade in hand; she was ready to attack but still shielding Cas. Her eyes intense, locked on the enemy. Cas was slouching behind her, holding his angel blade, eyes alert.

In front of them was a guy, at least twice Riley’s size he turned to look at the brothers, a grin spreading across his face.

 

“Winchester”. He barks a laugh. “I’ve been looking for you!”  he growls as his eyes turn black.

 

Dean narrows his eyes “Sam!” he yells, dropping the bags he was carrying. Sam doesn’t hesitate, and reaches for the knife while Dean gets a flask from his pocket. The demon charges for them, holy water burning his face, a gash opening in his forearm, while Sam and Dean try to get a hold of him.

The demon throws Dean across the room, and manages to kick the knife out of Sam’s hand. Cas turns his attention to Dean while Riley goes after the demon. Dean’s on his feet and while his brother and the girl are fighting; he gets his gun and fires once at the demon’s chest. The demon stops moving and falls to the ground, devil’s trap bullets do come in handy. The others turn to look at him.

 

“Everyone okay?” he asks. They nod.

 

Cas sits on the bed, he looks tired; Sam and Riley drag the demon and tie him to a chair. Dean goes around the room. “Cas” he crouches in front of the angel, placing a hand on his knee “are you hurt?”

Cas shakes his head. “I’m fine Dean, stop worrying about me” it comes out harsher than he intended and he sees Dean’s eyes change, from worried to hurt.

“I’m sorry, I’m okay” he sighs “I just wish you would stop worrying about me” he smiles weakly at Dean “I’m the angel, I’m suppose to be taking care of you, not the other way around” he says sincerely.

Dean stares at him, and nods slowly.

“We take care of each other Cas, we’re family, remember?” he says patting his knee.

 

Riley is studying the demon tied to the chair; Dean stands up and walks towards him.

“Okay, let’s make this quick. I’m not in the mood…” he says while holding the flask and pouring some holy water on the ropes.

 

“Alright pal, so this is how it goes, I ask a question, you answer. If you don’t cooperate or I don’t like your answer, Sammy here is gonna make sure you suffer for a good while. Sounds good?” he finishes with a ghost of a smirk.

 

………………………………………………………………….

 

“Let’s try again,” says Dean in a husky voice “who do you work for? We know it’s not Crowley, he’s been MIA since what happened with that witch mother of his and the mark. So someone else seems to be running things now” Dean finishes cocking an eyebrow, the demon says nothing, after a few moments Dean sprays him with holy water, making him hiss, his skin burning.

 

“Hey, believe me. I can do this all day… Or maybe we can change tactics?” he looks at Sam, who reaches for an angel blade and points it to the demon’s throat. “How about now? Anything you wanna say?”

 

The demon tries to keep his cool but it’s clearly fading.

 

“Can´t hear you...” Sam pushes the blade a bit.

 

“Orders” he says breathing heavily. “They sent me for the angel” he gruffs.

Riley tenses and the brothers frown.

“Why?” Sam demands

“They said it was the easiest way to get to you” he is grinning now.

 

 

Dean has the urge to kick his ass back to hell, but Riley looks intently at him, a warning.

Dean’s smarter than people give him credit for, he knows this demon and whoever’s behind this whole thing, is using his weakness for Cas, against him.

 

“Who sent you?” Sam insists.

“I’ll die if I tell you”.

“I’m sure you know **we** can do a lot worse than just killing you”

“We’ve been getting a lot of unwanted… visitors. What do you know about that?”

“That´s all I know; they sent me, I came. I’m just muscle, I have no idea what’s going on”

“Just muscle” Riley interrupts. “Tell us what you know”

“Even if I did know something, why would I tell you? You’re a good fighter; I underestimated you. Won’t happen again…”

“Of course it won’t” Riley interrupts. “You shall be roaming purgatory for eternity if you even think about attacking us again” she says, eyes set. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way” she continues “Your choice”.

 

The demon burst out laughing and Riley is clearly angry; reaches her hand, placing it over his head and the laughter turns into horrible screeches. The brothers are too stunned to do anything but stare at the scene unfolding before them, the girl’s eyes radiating with the grace within her.

 

“They want her!” the demon yells.

“Her?” Dean looks at Riley. “What about her? And, who is _they_?” he frowns.

“That’s all I know! They sent me looking for her; they wanted me to take her to them. They say she’s dangerous”

“Who is ‘they’?” Dean asks again

 

The demon is in agonizing pain and starts mumbling stuff here and there.

“The end… vengeance… star… rising!

“Stop it!”

 

The screeching stops at once, they turn to look at Cas, his eyes wide, staring horrifyingly at Riley.

Riley snaps back and tries to catch her breath, turning to assess the damage. The demon isn’t dead, but after what she just did, she thinks he should be.

 

Sam finally breaks the silence “What the hell was that!? I’ve never seen anything like it” he stutters.

Riley seems hesitant now “We need him to cooperate, I – I accessed his brain, memories, thoughts…”

“What?” Dean asks, startled.

“I’m sorry, I just… I knew I could do this; we need all the info we can get. He attacked us, Cas could have been killed!” she defends herself. “I can access anyone’s mind, with no repercussions whatsoever, but we need answers right now”

“So?” Dean complains. “You kill him once you’re finish with him, not before!”

“Pain and fear make the brain work… faster, more efficiently than it does on a normal state; been under pressure allows me to access the mind easily and also prevents him from hiding any thoughts, since he is too busy feeling and processing the pain, trying to figure a way to get rid of it”.

 

The guys just gape at her, incredulous.

“Okay, well; what would you have me do?” she demands. “Anything or anyone could be here right now, about to kill us. And as I said…” she points to Cas “he is my responsibility, and since it seems you two are his, I’m not letting ANYTHING happen to ANYONE. Are we clear?”

 

Dean has known all kinds of people in his life; he knows love and determination when he sees it… the way Riley talks and looks at Cas, swearing to protect him, no matter what the cost. It’s the same way he feels about Sam, he’s sworn to protect his little brother, from the moment he was born, and reinforcing that promise when he got him out of the fire all those years ago, when Sammy was just a baby. He never stopped taking care of him, protecting him, giving up everything so Sammy could have it, because he is his baby brother and…

Baby brother.

The way Riley looks at Cas, just like he is her baby brother, of course angels are brothers and sisters, but some of them develop other kinds of relationships; friendly, familiar, even romantic. So what if when Cas was… created, Riley was the one to take care of him, she was responsible for him, which would explain her stubbornness when it comes to his safety, or the familiarity with which she talks to him, only him and Sam and a few others call Castiel, **Cas** ; all the angels in the garrison use full names, all of them call him Castiel. After so many years apart, even though she doesn’t remember exactly what she’s supposed to be to Castiel, she feels it, the big sibling duty.

 

Dean’s train of thought is interrupted by the demon shuffling in his seat; he starts mumbling.

 

 

“What’s going on with the demons? Bunch of you sons of bitches have been showing up lately, trying to kill us, you know anything about that? And you better tell the truth or Sammy here is gonna start an exorcism, I bet you don’t want to go back there empty handed so c’mon”.

 

“I’ve heard… there are rumors” he says out of breath. “They are preparing for something big, I don’t know what it is though”

“Of course you don’t” Sam says rolling his eyes.

“What rumors?” Riley insists.

“Was it Crowley?” Dean adds.

 

The demon burst out laughing “Crowley? You really have no idea” he mocks them.

Dean tightens his grip on the blade he’s holding and turns to look at Cas. He’s still sitting on the bed, but he’s paying close attention to everything.

“Where is Crowley?” Dean asks.

“Crowley’s dead” he answers and there’s a beat of silence.

“What?” the brothers ask shocked.

“He’s dead, and the rumors are about who’s taking his place…”

They boys wait.

“Most of us don’t know, there’s a selected group who have been pulling strings here and there, but no one knows who’s giving the orders. Word is, he’s powerful and wants to finished what you started”.

“And what would that be?” Riley interjects.

“The end” he says.

“The end?” Riley repeats

“You have no chance this time” he spats.

“I want a name” Dean grunts.

“Sorry pretty boy, don’t know”

“What are the rumors?” Cas says, standing up. He’s visibly concern.

“They say he’s got the demon tablet and he’s found a way to open the cage”

Sam snaps his head to look at his brother, then at Cas. “HOW?”

“Don’t know, but when it happens, he will unleash hell on earth, the final battle. He wants to fulfill what was written; and to do so, he must free the angels, and they won’t have mercy.

 

The silence is deafening. No one moves, no one says a word; they’re all holding their breaths.

“It’s coming, be sure of it. Only this time, you won’t be able to stop it. You won’t be enough” the demon assures them.

“We’ll see” Dean mutters and drives the blade through the demon’s chest.

 

 

The brothers get rid of the body in the forest and that night, they discuss every single piece of information they have, trying to connect everything. And the scary conclusion is that the one making the calls must be Metatron, he was seen last with the demon tablet, after attempting to kill Cas, he disappeared. The guys tell Riley everything concerning Metatron, Riley does remember who he is, the scribe of God. They tell her about his past behavior, how he hide for a millennia and was brought back, eventually taking center stage of the events unraveling; the angels’ fall, the consequent civil war.

 

Riley seems to know Metatron well, when she’s asked for a description, she recalls his behavior perfectly, and remembers the change he had once he was finished with the tablets.

 

And since they can’t help it, and it looks like Riley remembers a lot more about the past, they ask her about God.

Riley is quiet for a few moments, fumbling for the right words.

She finally speaks “Well, I – um. It’s weird. I do remember Him, like his presence, I even remember, you know, things he said to me, actual conversations, but I don’t remember what he looks like or the sound of his voice. Nothing that could help us locate him or something. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful” she sounds distressed.

 

“It’s fine, we asked more out of curiosity than anything else. From our experience, He doesn’t want to be found, and He won’t get in the way of what’s happening or who’s making it happen” Sam sighs heavily and gives a half hearted smile.

 

“All these years and it’s been you who have protected the world.” Riley says. “I think He doesn’t get involved because He knows you guys are taking care of it.”

 

The boys look at her like she’s crazy.

 

“You know God could have prevented a lot of catastrophes from happening, a lot of people from getting killed” Dean counters, visibly upset.

 

“I don’t mean to undermine your losses, I know life hasn’t been easy for you boys. But I recall God telling me that everything that happens and everyone who exists, has a purpose. I think I know mine…” Riley looks at Cas who is still resting on the bed. Then turns to the boys “Maybe this is yours. Wasn’t that the family business?” she says with a ghost of a smile “or so I’ve heard”

 

The brothers huff a laugh at the same time, and Riley smiles because it makes her feel home, nostalgic; they really know each other well.

 

“It is the family business” Dean continues “but I’m tired, we’ve been doing this for a long time, it’s a burden we’ve been carrying for so long, and I’m tired.” he says sincerely, and you can see the pain and anger behind those green eyes. Riley looks at him and thinks those eyes used to be full of light and wonder before getting involved with the supernatural; so much promise, but here they are, talking in a crappy motel room, drinking cheap booze.

“Sometimes I wonder if we’re more evil than good. We’ve made mistakes, and those mistakes have cost us.” Sam sighs.

 

“Darkness is in all of us, some act on it, others act against it, but whatever the reason we take control of it. What we do, those are our decisions, decisions that build our characters, that shape our lives, that give us purpose and a path to follow. It may not be easy, but you know in your hearts that it’s right. You may think that you’re a necessary evil, but when I see you, all I see is light, and a drive to change things, to make a difference.” Riley states. “Maybe God thinks that you can change things, that you can learn to be better. Maybe this was His plan for you all along. Maybe He thinks that for now, you are enough”.


End file.
